Station and program indicator.



PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

A. H. WOOD.

STATION AND PROGRAM INDICATOR.

APPLICATION I'I-LEI) SEPTJQ, 1904.

ALPHEUS H. WOOD, OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

STATION AND PROGRAM INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed September 29, 1904. Serial No. 226,535.

To (LZZ whom, it Indy concern.-

Be it known that I, ALPHEUS H. W001), a citizen of the United States, residing at Ann Arbor, in the county of Washtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Station and Program Inclicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to indicators-27. 0., devices for indicating in proper sequence stations, program-numbers, and other items of information; and it contemplates the provision of an indicator easily operated and reliable irrespective of the direction in which its web is moved and one which is a material simplification of those extant and which embodies no complicated or delicate parts such as are likely to get out of order after a short period of use.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Wl]lCl1- Figure 1 is a front elevation, with some of the parts broken away, of the indicator constituting the present and preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in transverse section andpartly in elevation, of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail broken elevation of the gear and pawl.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A is the casing of my novel indicator, which may be of any construction and material compatible with the purposes of my invention. The said casing is provided in its front wall with a visual opening a, which is preferably glazed, as shown, with a view of excluding dust and dirt from the interior of the casing.

B is a roller mounted between the upper portions of the end walls of the casing and subject to the action of a spring O, whichv tends to rotate it in the direction indicated by arrow, and D is a roller mounted between the lower portions of the end walls of the casing and arranged to be rotated in the direction indicated by arrow by a spring E. The said rollers B and D are by preference similar in construction to the well-known shade-rollers at present in usethat is to say, they respectively comprise a main portion 6, having a trunnion 0 at one end journaled in a bracket d on one end wall of the casing, a shaft 0, on which the opposite end of the main portion 6 is arranged to turn and which shaft (2 is mount ed and held against rotation in a bracket f, connected to the other end wall of the casing, and a coiled spring O or E, connected at one end to the main portion 5 and at its opposite end to the shaft e, said spring being adapted to be wound up or placed under tension by turning the shaft 6 in the proper direction in the main portion 5 precedent to placing the shaft in the bracketf.

F is a roller disposed between the rollers B and D and having trunnions 7t journaled in the end walls of the casing A and also having circular series of equidistant studs 11 extending radially from its perimeter at points adjacent to its ends. The said roller F is de signed to be turned in either direction through the medium of a crank for any other suitable means and by hand-power or any preferred motive power, as desired, and it is provided upon one of its trunnions it, preferably that bearing the crank j, with a toothed wheel 76. This toothed Wheel is designed to be engaged by a pawl Z, which is pivoted above the wheel and in line with the center thereof and is provided at its free end with toes m. In virtue of this construction it will be observed that when the pawl Z extends toward the right from its center of movement it will permit movement of the wheel 70 toward the right, but will prevent retrograde movement of said wheel toward the left, while when said pawl extends from its center of movement toward the left it will permit movement of the wheel in the same direction, but will hold the wheel against retrograde movement or movement toward the right. The toothed wheel it being fixed on one of the trunnions of the roller F, it follows that the pawl in engagement with the toothed wheel will prevent backward or retrograde movement of the said roller when the latter is rotated to feed the web, presently described.

G is the web, which is designed to bear the names of stations or streets, the numbers of a program, or other items of information arranged in proper sequence. The said web may be of light canvas or other suitable material, is connected to and wound upon the spring-actuated rollers B and D and passed around the roller F in the manner shown, and. is provided adjacent to its edges with eyelets 19, arranged a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the studs *6 of the roller F and designed to be engaged by the said studs after the manner best shown in Fig. 2, so as to enable the said roller when turned to positively feed the web. The advantage of thus positively feeding the web will be apparent when it is remembered that the rollers B and D operate under the actions of their springs to draw the web in opposite directions from the roller F, this latter with a view of keeping the web at all times taut and free from wrinkles and assuring the same being taken on and let ofi the rollers B and D in a smooth manner.

It will be appreciated "from the foregoing that when the spring Complementary to one rollerB or D is under higher tension than the spring of the other roller the pawl Z will be placed to prevent casual travel of the web to the roller under the higher tension. Then when the web is to be moved the pawl will be disengaged from the spur-gear until the movement of the web is completed, when the pawl will be returned to the position stated.

H H are guide-rollers disposed above and below the roller F and designed to cause the web to rest in the form of a bight around the roller F, so as to be best engaged by the latter, and 1 VI are guide-rollers which serve to assure the portion of the web exposed through the visual opening a resting parallel with the front wall of the casing.

In the practical use of my novel indicator it will be observed that when the roller F is turned toward the right the web (3i will be drawn 011' "the roller 1) against the action of the spring of the latter and will be taken up on the roller D by reason of said roller D being turned by its spring E, while when the said roller F is turned toward the left the web will be drawn ofl the roller 1) against the action of the spring E and taken up on the spring-actuated roller B. From thisit't'ollows that by turning the roller F the web Gr may be moved in either direction step by step past the opening a, so as to expose the names of streets in proper sequence; also, that by reason of the portions of the web intermediate of the roller F and the rollers B and D, respectively, being always under tension the web is kept smooth and free from wrinkles and is adapted to be properly let ofl of one of the spring-rollers and taken on the other. This obviously contributes materially to the reliability of the indicator in operation and materially lessens the liability of the indicator getting out of order when subjected to ordinary usage.

In addition to the advantages which I have hereinbefore ascribed to my novel indicator it will be noted that the indicator is at once simple, compact, and inexpensive in construction.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and'exact understanding of the said embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as clearly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described indicator, comprising a casing having a visual opening, a web ar ranged in the casing in position to pass the visual opening and having equidistant eyelets at points adjacent to its longitudinal edges, rollers to which the ends of the said web are connected, springs arranged to rotate the rollers to wind the web thereon, a roller arranged between the first-mentioned rollers and having studs on its perimeter at points adjacent to its ends and arranged equidistant so as to enter the eyelets of the web, and also having trunnions journaled in the side walls of the casing and one of said trunnions extending beyond the side wall in which it bears, a toothed wheel fixed on said trunnion, outside of the casing, and a gravitating pawl pivotally connected to said wall of the casing at a point above the toothed wheel and in vertical alinement with the center thereof and having oppositely-directed toes on its free portion arranged to engage the teeth of the wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALPHEUS H. WOOD.

Witnesses:

G. W. FOWLER, THOMAS E. TURPIN. 

